Vanderbilt vs. Georgia Postponed Because of COVID-19 Outbreak

The SEC has announced Saturday's college football game between Vanderbilt and Georgia will be postponed until Dec. 19 because of a shortage of players on the Commodores roster.

Vanderbilt interim head coach Todd Fitch told reporters Tuesday the team was already close to the conference's minimum of 53 players because of COVID-19 cases. Additionally, Fitch said some players could opt out because they were unhappy head coach Derek Mason was fired Sunday.

If the Bulldogs qualify for the SEC Championship Game, which is also scheduled for Dec. 19, their game against Vandy will be declared a no-contest.

Georgia is second in the SEC East with a 6-2 record. Florida (7-1) sits atop the division and holds the tiebreaker courtesy of a 44-28 win over UGA in November, so a win by the Gators in either Saturday's game against Tennessee or next week's clash with LSU would clinch a berth in the conference title game.

The Bulldogs and Commodores, who are 0-8, each have two postponed contests to make up.

Georgia still has a game against Missouri to play, and Vanderbilt has a showdown with in-state rival Tennessee. Based on Friday's announcement, it's possible those latter two games will be scheduled for Dec. 12, the last open date for both sides before championship week.

Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart discussed the difficulties that players and staff face in staying within the guidelines to avoid an outbreak while also dealing with family issues after last week's win over South Carolina.

"They're scared to death of getting COVID or affecting a teammate. And that's just tough," Smart told reporters. "Their families. I don't think anybody talks—we've got kids with relatives and family members that have been in the hospital. We had a coach lose his father. It's tough, and it's trying, and they've stuck together."

Georgia should land in a high-profile bowl, potentially a New Year's Six contest, even if it doesn't end up with a berth in the SEC title game.